The Small Town of Pineview
AM Omniance: January 17th, 11:00 PM Idyllwild, Highway 74 AM Omniance: After finding Samson on the side of the road and waiting for the officer to question him on what happened, they were finally allowed to leave without further incident, the whole situation and drive having taken nearly two hours so far. They're driving along the highway that Mandy Lane lead them down when they were following her to the cabin earlier. This time Mandy is following behind them, Isaac is with her. Yuri is driving and Lucas is sitting passenger-side, having dozed off about twenty minutes ago. They're about 1/3rd the way home, still in the woods for the most part. There's very few other cars around, and Yuri can see Mandy following behind them in the rear-view mirror easily. AM | Edited 12:27:40 AM Omniance: Leena: She's looking out the window, rain pouring against it. So are we going straight home then? AM Arbi: Yuri: Where else would we go? He looks in the rearview mirror, looking at Leena in the back. Samson: He rubs his palms together before hugging himself. I'd really appreciate it if you dropped me off first, mate. I can't stand these bloody wet clothes. AM Omniance: Leena: My parents think I'm staying over at someone's house. They might think it weird that I just show up. She puts the side of her forehead against the glass. I guess it doesn't matter though, after all the shit we've been through the last few hours... AM Arbi: Samson: You can spend the night at my house, love. It'd be no problem at all, there's one guest bedroom on the first floor. Three on the second. AM Omniance: Leena: Isn't Isaac staying with you? She turns to look at him. AM Arbi: Samson: He nods, not sure what the problem is. AM Omniance: Leena: Well I guess if it's not a big deal, sure. She shrugs slightly. AM Arbi: Yuri: Maybe you could sleep over at our house. We'd just have to sneak you into our room when no one's looking. He teases. AM Omniance: Leena: Your sister is downright diabolical. I'd be burned at the stake by morning if she found me. There's a bright flash of lightning, followed but a deafening boom less than a second afterwards. The car shakes lightly, and rain starts pouring down onto them in sheets of water, making it increasingly difficult to see as even the window wipers on full speed can't keep the window clear. AM Arbi: Samson: He looks out the window, seeing how strong the rain is getting. It's looking bad out there, mates. Yuri: No kidding. It's actually starting to get hard to see. AM Omniance: Their comments are replied with two more thunderous flashes of lightning. AM Omniance: Lucas: He's awake, the first bolt having woken him up. Those sound really close. He looks out the window as streams of water flow down the outside of the glass. AM Arbi: Yuri: There isn't a church around here is there? He almost sounds serious. AM Omniance: Lucas: He sighs, having thought about that too. I doubt it. AM Omniance: Leena: What does that have to do with anything? AM Arbi: Yuri: It's a joke, a little dark but...not as dark as my ass is going get if one of these lightning bolts hits us. He goes quiet for a moment, trying to concentrate on the road. The next thing he says sounds serious. This jeep doesn't have a metal roof. AM Omniance: Leena: Umm... So... That means the lightning won't strike us right? AM Arbi: Yuri: Leena. Your blond roots are showing. He squints his eyes, not that it helps much as he tries to make out what's down the road. He shakes his head after a minute of careful driving and pulls the jeep over to the side of the road and turns the engine off. AM Omniance: Leena: So what now? They can see Mandy drive ahead of them and the pull over just in front of them. AM Arbi: Yuri: I can't fucking see anything when there's a fucking waterfall going down the front window. He sighs. We have to wait this out. AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: She gets out of her car and runs back over to them. She knocks on Yuri's window. AM Arbi: Yuri: He rolls his window down. AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: I can't see in this rain. She's talking loudly as there's still thunder in the distance. AM Arbi: Yuri: We're just gonna wait it out. How long can this storm be on top of us anyways, right? AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: We're going to sit in our cars on the side of the road for the rest of the night? She looks up ahead on the road. I think there's a small town about a mile up the road from here. We drove by a sign for it on the way up here. She looks back to Yuri. AM | Edited 1:14:51 AM Arbi: A white flash of light covers everything on the road. The light is quickly followed by the booming sound of thunder. When everyone looks across the road where it struck they see a tree, split down the middle. AM Omniance: Leena: We're not sitting out here all night waiting to be struck by lightning. Lucas: She's right, parking the car doesn't really lower out chances of being struck. Mandy is just staring at the tree as it falls in two opposite directions, cinders crackling and popping loudly. AM | Edited 1:23:54 AM Arbi: Yuri: Yeah because getting struck by lightning is so much better when the metal death trap is moving-you know what, fuck it. You only live once. He starts the car back up and pulls out, driving around Mandy and going back on the road. AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: She runs back to her car and gets in driving after him. She speeds up slightly to catch up to them, speaking to Isaac as she keeps her eyes on the road. Did you see that tree get struck? She seems pretty rattled, and whether she's shivering from being soaked by the rain or scared to death of the lightning, Isaac can' really tell. AM Arbi: Isaac: It's...awfully strange. There are mountains all around us, why did a tree down here get struck? AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: That's an urban myth actually. She's talking to try and stay calm, but her teeth are starting to chatter. L-lightning st-t-trikes any ob-bject-t that's under it. Usually near a s-source of high c-concentration of en-energy. The t-tree's electro-st-t-tati-c-c charge was higher th-than the surround-ding area. AM Arbi: Isaac: He reaches over and slowly intertwines his fingers with hers, holding her hand to calm her down. It's okay, Mandy. AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: N-nothing on this trip so f-far has b-been ok Isaac. AM | Edited 1:36:51 AM Arbi: Isaac: He looks down, thinking for a moment before looking back at her. Do you really think it's that demon? AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: I kn-know it is. The whole sit-tuition f-felt just like my d-dream. Only they weren't-t-t-trying to k-kill me. AM Arbi: Isaac: But I thought demons couldn't do anything out here without possessing someone... AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: D-don't know all the r-rules. They pass a sign that says "Pineview Next Road 1/2 mile. The only reason they can read it is because it's reflective-white in their headlights. Just-t know what I felt. AM Arbi: Isaac: We need to find out what a demon like that is capable of. He thinks. I...um...I honestly have no idea where to even find information like that. AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: Maybe the b-book will know... She takes a deep breath to help keep her from shivering. AM Omniance: Meanwhile, in the car ahead of them. AM Omniance: Leena: We're going to stop in that town right? They have to have a motel or something there. AM | Edited 1:47:51 AM Arbi: Yuri: He's quiet, concentrating on the road and not hearing Leena. Samson: Mate? Yuri: Lucas, take over for me. I'm in road must die mode. AM Omniance: Lucas: We'll pull into the town and try to find somewhere to stay. This storm is too insane to drive another forty miles in. He looks back at Leena. Leena: She sighs in relief. Good... AM Omniance: After taking the next turn off, and driving for another fifteen minutes they arrive in the small town of Pineview, which seems to be dead center in the middle of the forest. Along the main street there's a few evenly space buildings you'd see in a typical town. Two gas stations, a McDonald's, a few small businesses and restaurants, and various other buildings. There doesn't seem to be much beyond the main road, and outside of the gas stations, most of the buildings look closed. Driving for another five or so minutes through the two they see a large pink neon sign off to the right that reads "Peaceful Mountain Motel" in flickering letters. A flashing "VACANCY" is light below it. It looks like a very cheap road-side motel, and only a few cars are parked outside. AM Arbi: Yuri: He sees the large neon sign. ...Beats sleeping in a car. He turns, driving into the small parking lot and stopping in a spot infront of the motel. AM Omniance: Mandy Lane's car pulls beside them and goes a bit further, parking in a space near the front office area. AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: She gets out, grabbing her pack and running under the cover of the roof outside of the office. AM Omniance: Lucas: He opens the door and jumps out of the car, running to the awning. Leena follows after him closely, holding her sweater above her, which does mostly nothing to shield her from the rain. AM Arbi: After the others get out of the jeep Yuri looks around the back, making sure all the doors are locked before stepping out of the car and quickly running over to the others. AM Arbi: Isaac: He tries looking inside through the big windows before opening the frontdoor, holding it for everyone. AM Omniance: The inside of the front office tiny, barely big enough to fit all of them as they go in. Mandy quickly walks up to counter and hits the small bell on the front desk. It makes a dull "clunk", and is obviously broken. AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: Anyone back there? She looks behind the counter. There's a door just behind it with a light coming from underneath. Anyone? There's no answer. AM Omniance: Leena: She's rubbing her arms. Damn it's cold. AM Arbi: Samson: Aye, mate?! He calls out to the back room suddenly and loudly. We're looking for a room! AM Omniance: Lucas: His eyes start wandering as they wait. The interior is run-down, but not awful. It just looks old and like nothing has been replaced, but is otherwise clean. Behind the desk on the wall next to the door, is a small black sign with the number "196" written with chalk on it. Below it are numerous newspaper clippings, but they're too far to really make out what they say. AM Omniance: Motel Attendant: After about five more minutes the door behind the desk opens and a very old woman slowly walks out with a cane. She looks like she's in her mid-80's at least. My bones ache so badly when the weather gets like this it takes me some time to move through the building, sorry for the wait. She's not kidding, as it takes her nearly a minute to move from the doorway to behind the desk. ...You youngsters lookin for a room? AM Arbi: Yuri: Three rooms. AM Omniance: Motel Attendant: Three, oh... I see. She pulls out a large book and opens it in front of them. Sign in please and I'll ring you up. How long will you be staying? AM Arbi: Yuri: One night. He grabs the book and signs his name. AM Arbi: Isaac: Uh...wait, did he say three rooms? He says quietly. AM Omniance: Motel Attendant: One night, three rooms. She looks back at the shelf of key-boxes. Looks like we only have one room with two beds available. She looks back at them. Is that alright? AM Arbi: Yuri: That's fine. AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: She looks at Isaac for a moment, and then back at the attendant. AM Arbi: Isaac: His eyes widen a little, he has no idea where anyone's going to sleep. AM Omniance: Motel Attendant: Alright. She turns and slowly inches her way over to the shelves, grabs the keys, and then turns, slowly walking back to the counter. You have rooms 201, 202 and 203. Right up the stairs at the end of the building. She puts the keys on the counter. That's $180 for the night. Even. AM Omniance: Lucas: He stares at her in disbelief. AM Arbi: Yuri: He reaches into his pants and takes out his wallet. AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: I got it. She pulls her purse out and drops two one-hundred bills on the counter. The old woman takes the money and opens the cash register. It's one of those incredibly old ones that makes the loud ringing sound and everything. Mandy murmurs as the attendant makes change. I got us into this mess, I might as well pay for it. AM Arbi: Yuri: He shrugs and puts his wallet away, he just had a dollar and a few quarters inside. AM Omniance: Motel Attendant: Alright, here you go. She slides the twenty in change, it's entirely in ones, across the counter back to Mandy, along with the keys. If you need anything I'll be up all night, right here. She smiles warmly. We'll have complementary donuts and coffee ready for you in the morning. AM Arbi: Yuri: He smiles warmly in return. We'll be right over if we need anything else. He takes the keys before Mandy grabs them and heads for their room. AM Arbi: Isaac: He looks confused as he watches Yuri walk away. AM Omniance: Lucas: He's looking at the sign above the door, he's been trying to figure out what the number means this whole time. ...So what's that for? He points to it. Motel Attendant: Oh. She looks behind her at the sign, and then to Lucas. That's a hobby my husband keeps. She looks down, grabbing the sign-in book from the front and setting it behind the desk. He likes to count the number of "odd happenings" around Pineview. I think it's nonsense. AM | Edited 2:37:01 AM Arbi: Isaac: He watches Samson follow Yuri before looking back when he hears the old woman say "old happenings". I've never been to Pineview before. May I ask what type of odd...happenings...happened here before? He almost looks confused. AM Omniance: Motel Attendant: She sighs a bit, obviously not enjoying the topic. Lot's of folk 'round here report hauntings, people wander off into the woods and disappear, see strange creatures running along the side of the road as they drive at night. She finishes putting things away. Some people hear voices through the vents in the hotel room, even though the next rooms are empty. Non-sense like that. Folk 'round these parts are just bored and superstitious... She looks up at them and smiles slightly, a smile that seems a bit creepy. Lived here sixty years, never seen a thing. AM | Edited 2:40:09 AM Arbi: Isaac: He looks at Mandy, thinking that Pineview's hauntings may be related to what happened at the cabin. AM | Edited 2:43:13 AM Omniance: Mandy Lane: She knows what he's thinking. So there's been 196 reports of... Those things you said? Over sixty years? Motel Attendant: She laughs lightly. Oh no dearie, there's been 196 reports this year. Lucas: ...But it's January 17th. Motel Attendant: Unbelievable, isn't it? She turns and heads back to the door that leads in the back.